LinkedIn is the perfect opportunity to expand your professional network and establish yourself as an industry thought leader. However, you’re not going to accomplish this by spamming people with connection requests and sales pitches. There is a fine Social Selling art to LinkedIn success and it all starts with growing your personal brand. To help with this, we’ll be sharing some content ideas you can use to engage your audience.
Here are 10 content ideas to get you started…
1. BTS (Behind the Scenes) Content
Despite social media being the perfect place for authentic content, there are a lot of accounts putting on a show for the sake of vanity metrics. What better way to separate your content from the rest than by revealing a glimpse behind the curtain?
Letting your audience see what your day-to-day looks like, sharing the reasons why you do what you do and offering a glimpse into a hobby or special interest are just some of the things you can sprinkle into your content strategy.
It’s about showing the person behind the brand, proving that a real human being is on the other end of those DMs that actually cares about achieving results for their prospects.
2. Your Journey
Sharing your journey through your content goes beyond just explaining why you do what you do. It’s about proving your expertise and showcasing the passion, dedication and drive you have to help your prospects achieve their goals.
This type of content also reminds people that we’re all cut from the same cloth. We’ve all struggled, we’ve all felt like giving up, and we’ve all believed that it couldn’t be possible for a single solution to solve these struggles and pains.
Posting content that logs your professional journey will connect with your audience on a personal level. While they might not have experienced the exact same journey, they will recognise elements of it and therefore be more open to interacting with you.
3. Accomplishments
Not someone who likes to boast? That isn’t what this is about. Sharing your accomplishments is about providing social proof to your audience that you can walk the walk just as well as you talk the talk.
These accomplishments can come in the form of announcements about awards or mentions in publications, client testimonials, company or personal milestones or even a look back on where you started vs where you are now.
You and your audience need to know that you’re continuously moving forward, or learning from anything that trips you up so you’re not taking steps back. It adds validity to all your other content and ensures you’re building trusting relationships with your prospects.
4. Expert Tips and Tricks
As well as proving to your audience that you can back up what you’re promising them, your content needs to establish you as an expert in your field. Sharing your experience and social proof will only achieve this so far.
The rest needs to come from demonstrating the knowledge and skills you have built in your industry, creating a trusted and authoritative voice that people can rely on. A voice your audience will seek out when they need the kind of expertise you excel in.
The way you achieve this through your content is by incorporating posts that reveal industry tips and tricks your audience otherwise wouldn’t have known about. Actionable advice that they can apply and therefore keep coming back to your content to receive more of.
5. Industry Trends/Updates/Myths
Your content could be the only window into your industry that your audience ever has. Therefore you need to ensure that your posts are a fountain of knowledge that provides them with all the trends and updates they need.
It will also make your profile a one-stop-shop for people to stay in the know, in addition to showcasing your expertise and knowledge of your industry. The reason this type of content is so helpful in growing your personal brand is that it will encourage people to interact with you and have their say.
Sharing and/or debunking industry myths will also show your audience that you’re on “their side.” These posts prove that you truly have your prospects’ best interests at heart and don’t want anything to hold them back.
6. FREE Resources
Ever heard the phrase, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free”? If you live by this, then you’re missing out on some serious business. Of course, you shouldn’t give your service away for free or reveal every secret, but free resources are vital for growing your personal brand and winning clients.
This could be professional tools you’ve used and how others can use them, a LinkedIn audio event or webinar, or a PDF or whitepaper people can download. Whatever it is, it should be a taste of the value you have to offer your prospects.
Again, this type of content acts as a form of proof to your audience that you have the experience, knowledge and skill to help them. But, it will also leave your audience wondering what you have to offer when they actually work with you if this is what you’re giving away for free.
7. Inspirational Quotes
It’s an easy piece of content to post but one that could have a big impact. There really is no ulterior motive to these posts, just sharing something that resonates with you in the hopes that it will resonate with your audience as well.
However, they will increase engagement by giving people something they can connect with emotionally and therefore may want to share their opinion on. The quotes you choose will also be telling of the values you uphold.
While these values will contribute to your personal brand, they will also be a reflection of your business. So, ensure that you are choosing these inspirational quotes with purpose and care.
8. Special Interest/Knowledge
Got a party trick? Why not share it with your audience? This could be something related to the service you provide or have absolutely nothing to do with it. Either way, these kinds of posts are golden for growing your personal brand.
If it is related to your service then you’re showing potential prospects that your content is just the tip of the iceberg of what you can provide. If they interact with you to learn more then they will get a lot more bang for their buck.
If your special interest or knowledge isn’t related to the service you provide, then you are still posting content people will want to engage with. There is also the chance that it will further prove the dedication you have to your craft as you’re bringing a whole range of skills and expertise to it.
9. Reservations
What is the point of creating all of this content in the first place? It’s so your ideal prospects can find you and discover what’s been holding them back from success all this time. What stops them from doing this without first seeing your content? Reservations.
There will be any number of reasons people have not tried the solution you offer before or have actively avoided it in the past. Address these reservations head-on, show your audience that you truly understand their pains but also know what’s holding them back.
Posting about common reasons people don’t seek out your service sooner (either because of misinformation or potential myths) is going to establish a strong essence of trust in your personal brand.
10. Comments
Comments ARE content, on your posts as well as others in your network. Ignoring the comments section is going to significantly damage your lead generation potential. However, so will commenting “Great post” on other users’ content.
The comments section of posts is another chance for you to provide value, prove your expertise and increase your reach – all things building your personal brand will accomplish.
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